Any one want to join me in waiting for eggs, posting and comparing notes?

[Melabella]

mine are 6months & just sterted laying & i can still only tell 3 aoart & have no idea how many are laying

Welcome to the thread clucketycluck!

I am envious that you have some eggs! I was hoping mine might go early, doesn't hurt to hope! How many chickens do you have, and may I ask, what breeds you have? Do they lay in their nest boxes?

MB

 

[CatSol]

Crafty Duck... no problem. I have been away a few days because I had been a little busy. I really, REally like what you did with your nesting boxes. It has given me some ideas how I can alter that to help me out. I can alter the design a little ... I built my boxes on top of my friends work bench. He won't mind well he left 2 here. They are 6 ft long and 2 ft wide. I had room for 4 boxes straight across. I tried to make the side walls with a steep angle but that is not enough for my girls. I am going to do that little roof. I love the stencil you put on that. I will take a pic when I am done. I would be embarrassed to show it now. Thanks again for the great idea of the curtains.
Hi Clucketycluck, My girls are almost 5 months old.... I guess this will be the hardest month of all in waiting for eggs. I have 3 kinds of birds that will lay 3 different colors of eggs. So that may help me narrow it down a little when the time come. But I wondered about that as well. I will just have to see if I can catch them in the act

 

[nova022]

Just found this answer from member Freds Hens who I have learned a LOT from:



"Oyster shells is a calcium carbonate supplement. There is already a lot of calcium supplement in Layer formula feed. (pre-laying birds do not need the supplement and long term feeding of high calcium to younger birds can indeed be problematic) One reason people provide the calcium supplement is because a high portion of their hen's diet may come from other food stuffs than merely the Layer, and/or they don't feed a Layer mix of feed at all. Sometimes people have hens that seem to lay a thinner shelled egg and the hope is that extra calcium will be of some help. If egg shells remain strong from diet alone, many people never provide the supplemental shells.

A hen needs more than just a calcium carbonate source, however. She also needs vitamins in order to process or take up that calcium. Most hens take in Vitamin D from sunlight, just as we do, for example."

MB
I won't be feeding layer feed until my youngest girls (8 weeks) are old enough for it, which is why I was wondering when to start supplementing the older girls (18 weeks) with oyster shell. I read that some people never go to layer feed because of the mixed ages of their flocks and that the hens will regulate themselves with the oyster shell if it is fed sperately according to what they need. I am hoping that is correct. I would hate to short change the older girls when they are just getting ready to lay.

 

[Spikes Chooks]

I sure would have joined this thread if I had seen it earlier, as I have been waiting too! I have one each of RIR, Australorp, Barnevelder and Silver Campine and they are about 25 weeks old now.

I kept the nesting boxes blocked off till they were about 20 weeks old, to make sure they didn't start sleeping in there. All good. I got my very first egg on Sunday 25th November - and one every day since. I posted a picture in the First Egg Countdown thread someone else mentioned earlier, as I wasn't sure who had laid it as the A'lorp and RIR eggs are similar. Most thought A'lorp but it turns out to be the RIR (Ladybird) who is a calm, authoritative, non-bully Top Chook so I am very pleased. I finally found her just before and after laying, so it is her, not Beetle the A'lorp. I read you thought your Australorps were "quite regal". Hah! My Beetle is a boisterous, greedy thing, not at all regal. I'm sure glad Ladybird keeps her calmly in check. She would have made a terrible Top Chook, I think.

Now it looks like Barnie the Barnevelder is close to lay - I just asked a question about whether they "practice" because she spent 20 minutes in the nesting box, cooing and sitting on a dummy egg. Then came back out - but no egg...... Apparently, they DO practice and I might get a nice dark brown egg from her any day now. She and Beetle do the squatting, but it hasn't been as long as Ladybird. Nor do they hold the position for very long. They both have lovely big red combs and wattles now.

Sylvia, the Silver Capmine still has quite a small and pale comb and no squatting. She loves to jump up on my lap if I sit down though!

I only put out shell grit (oyster shells) once I got the first egg. Ladybird is the only one I've seen eating it so far. The others take a look but aren't interested yet.

It is the beginning of summer here in Australia so all my girls should be laying soon. It is still so exciting waiting for the first one from each of them. Keep us posted!

 

[Melabella]

Welcome Spikes Chooks,,

You can join, you are someone ahead of us, and as you did in your first post here, you've given us some great information, thank you!

I guess within the breeds, just like us humans, they are all different. My RIR's are alloof and non social. Not at all like your Ladybird. Funny! I am thinking about opening up my nest boxes as my girls start their 20th week.

You are starting your summer, and us our winter. I think with the winter laying breeds that I picked we will at least have some eggs thru the cold winter months.. Spring should be full of eggs I hope!

Please post a picture of that first egg, would love to see it! Thanks for posting, and would love any or all input you can keep us informed with.

Thank you SC!

MB

 

[Spikes Chooks]

Here is my first egg.



And here it is compared to an extra large store bought one



I think she did very well for her first egg - and to give me one a day since has been brilliant.

Glad to have been of help. I will enjoy following this thread as I wait for the next first egg.... then the two more after that!

All the best

 

[CatSol]

Hi Spikes Chooks... I am in Southern California... we don't get all that cold in my part. Not even close to what Mellabella gets. Well the mountains are close to me but that is nice to visit I Don't know if I could deal with it. I'm to cautious of a driver to deal with driving in the snow
I am hoping for eggs soon. I have a Sylvia as well. Not all my girls have names yet but one of my Blue Andalusian is a lot more pale then the others and that name just seemed to fit.
That looks like an amazing egg. It is so close in size to the big one. That would be a great egg at any time much less for a first egg. Congratulations!
Thanks for the info... I am still looking for signs. I mean the squatting thing. How long do they do that for? My girls will sit on the ground some... it looks like they are sort of nesting / relaxing after the morning rush of activities. Next week should be week 20 for us... should be getting closer....
Hi Nova... I wasn't sure about the calcium as well. I have heard that there was not enough in the lay feed but it sounds like from your info there is. Two ladies told me to take old egg shells and crush them up and offer that to them. I guess I will just wait and see what there eggs look like and offer that to them if they need it. I have been giving them extra protean (the small black sunflower seeds, meal worms and a little bit of cat food). My girls will eat small feathers and will pluck them if they get a chance. I read that it means they need more protean if they do that. I did know know that it could be that complicated to raise chickens. But it has been fun.

 

[Crafty-Duck]

When my two oldest (now laying) first started they do check out the nesting boxes first!!! they will lay in them and one of mine even did the egg song after she was done checking it out then a few days later she layed her first egg!!! the 2nd one just checked out the boxes with no egg song

 

[DuckieTam]

I should have joined this thread earlier. I have 12 July 11th hatch and 2 July 18th hatch, all EE pullets. I got my first egg on Nov 20th when the oldest were just shy of 19 weeks old. Since then I have collected around 2 dozen eggs in the last 2 weeks. My best day was 5 eggs this past Sat, today might be a big egg day since I have already collected 4. Here is a picture of my first dozen.

The large egg in the top corner I think is my first goose egg, it is the size of a large white egg.

 

[Spikes Chooks]

Wow! That's a lovely collection of eggs. You've done well to start getting eggs around 19 weeks, too. Congratulations!!

CatSol - My Sylivia is named after Sylvia Pankhurst, the Suffragette. The run is next to a garden bed I planted of Australian native plants with purple, white and green flowers. These are the colours of the Suffragettes so it is planted in honour of their work over decades to win women the vote.

The squatting will be easily spotted as different to the relaxing they do on the ground. She will take a sudden dive with her belly to the ground, wings slightly outstretched, often when you or your hand have moved close by to her. She will look nervous, perhpas even a little frightened. I guess she doesn't understand the instinct that drives her to make herself vulnerable to you in this way - it is the instinct to get ready for a rooster to mount her! Give her a stroke down her back and say something nice. This also reinforces to her, and the others, that you are Alpha. Kinda the rooster substitute! The nervousness abates over time once they learn that you are not going to hurt them. Keep an eye on other chooks around her though. Ladybird began doing this first - she is Top Chook and No. 2 Beetle was surprised to see her in this submissive pose and a couple of times took her chance at trying to peck her. I make sure I stroke with one hand and keep the other to one side in case I need to push Beetle away. Beetle stopped after doing this a couple of times, I guess she learnt that I was entitled to Ladybird's submission as the Alpha, but was not allowing Beetle to take advantage of it.

So squatting is a lovely sign they are coming of age. I like to think of it as the curtsey a young lady might give a gentleman caller.

No egg yet today (it is 10am here) but a lot of talking going on and both Ladybird and Barnie keep popping into the nesting box and back out again. Who knows what they day will bring! Good luck everyone on the egg wait.